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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

LITIGATION LATERAL-PALOOZA  -  We've written plenty in this space recently about how corporate associates are the rock stars of the current lateral market. But, as Law.com's Justin Henry reports, litigators are stepping into the limelight now as well. "Think about the perfect storm that is happening right now," Dan Rhynhart, Blank Rome's litigation department chairman, said. "You have the courts getting comfortable with remote trials, at least bench trials, and they're starting to schedule jury trials again. They're trying to move their dockets along. And then you've got a new administration in government so you've got enforcement coming back." Rhynart added, "Now that the litigation is going gangbusters, there's a real need for associates."

APPEALS FOR FLEXIBILITY - Law firm leaders may be up nights fretting over how to handle office returns, but not everyone is losing sleep over remote work flexibility. As Law.com's Cedra Mayfield reports, the Court of Appeals of Georgia, led by Presiding Judge Stephen Dillard, is preparing for in-person oral arguments to resume in September but has no plans to fully abandon working form home. When Dillard himself opted to modify his commute to include two remote workdays, he extended the option to his staff attorneys, long before the pandemic. Now, that arrangement is set to continue. "My view was, 'if I'm not there, I don't see any reason why [my staff attorneys] can't work from home,'" Dillard said. "We work hard but there's no reason why I can't be flexible with my staff and where they work." And lawyers like central staff attorney Ave Mince-Didier say they appreciate the measure. "The court's telecommute policy has always been very liberal and wonderful," said Mince-Didier, who's worked with the intermediate appellate court for nearly two years. "As a parent, for me personally, it makes it easier to get the kids from school and get them home."

CELL LOW? - Stanley L. Garnett and Carrie E. Johnson of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck have stepped in as defense counsel to radiopharmaceutical drug developer Cell>Point and its founders Greg R. Colip and Terry A. Colip in a pending SEC enforcement action. The complaint, filed June 10 in Colorado District Court, accuses the defendants of misleading investors regarding the status of the company's clinical trials. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer, is 1:21-cv-01574, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Cell>Point, LLC et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

EDITOR'S PICKS

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

MISSED TARGETS - Setting diversity targets has become a common practice across the legal industry in recent years, as law firms attempt to demonstrate their commitment to making changes within their ranks as a sign to clients and rivals alike. Actually hitting those targets, however, is much less common. Research by Law.com International has uncovered over a dozen examples of historical missed targets, as well as future aims which at this point appear almost impossible to obtain. As Law.com International's Simon Lock reports, more firms have fallen short of their diversity goals since 2009 than have met them. While there have been notable success stories, the research highlights that many firms set eye-catching long-term targets, hoover up positive press and industry coverage and then quietly move on when the targets are later missed.  Top firms including Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Norton Rose Fulbright have all missed at least one diversity target while others hang in the balance. "We've known for a while that targets don't take us far enough precisely because they do not address the underlying structural barriers to becoming an equity partner which is where the decisions are made in partnerships," said Dana Denis-Smith, CEO of Obelisk Support and the founder of First 100 Years, a project focused on celebrating the journey of women in the legal profession.

WHAT YOU SAID

"We're still anxious about 'perceived weakness,' the best ways to disclose disability to employers and managers, and a real salary disparity for entering disabled lawyers."